October

The very popular and highly extraordinary, Sheesham and Lotus & 'Son, will return to Greenbank Folk Music Society on Saturday, October 17th. Show time: 8 PM.

The end of the 20th century saw the formation of Sheesham and Lotus, a simple musical duo whose main concern was to revive fiddle music and the good-time songs of years past. In the years following, they have become one of the most popular Old-time Roots acts in North America.

Noted for their highly original presentation, Sheesham and Lotus and 'Son have created a sonic and visual language that is very much their own, utilizing instruments of their own creation such as the Sepia-phonic Monophone, and the Contrabass HarmoniPhoneum. Such inventions have been instrumental in building a show that is vividly antique in both sight and sound, along with their excellent musicianship, setting them apart as true innovators of their craft.

Not only that, they are - as one reviewer put it recently - "riotous fun"!

In 2012 Sheesham and Lotus and 'Son recorded the critically acclaimed "1929". The record was quickly nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award in the category of "Best Traditional Album". Their latest recording - "The High Stepping Music of Sheesham and Lotus and 'Son" - is garnering praise in the UK, and will soon to be released in North America.

Opening for Sheesham etal is The Greenbank Trio. Says Mogens: "These young guys are from Greenbank and I believe they have music degrees from Lakehead U. They have been touring across Canada for the last couple of years . The front man Jimmy Breslin, who Ive known for most of his life, is the son of an ex band mate of mine."

November

From the website:

"Modern day troubadour Quique Escamilla makes music that comes straight from the soul. The stories he tells are the stories we need to hear; socially and politically conscious lyrics paired with exceptional musicianship. He's a unique talent who holds to the traditions of heavyweights like Bob Marley and Manu Chao. Quique is really one to watch!" - Garvia Bailey, CBC Radio Canada

Quique Escamilla was born and raised to a family of six in the warm, tropical southern lands of the state of Chiapas, Mexico. He started singing at the age of four at his family reunions. At the age of six in a crowded restaurant and accompanied by the in-house six-piece Mariachi band, he performed a full version of "El Rey" in front of an audience where he discovered for the first time the thrill of performing and the powerful magic of live music.

Today, Quique Escamilla is multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer living in Toronto. Since his arrival in 2007, he has rapidly become a rising star on the Canadian music scene. In 2011, he was discovered by a CBC radio producer and has since become a favourite on popular CBC Toronto shows such as Here and Now, Metro Morning, Fresh Air and Big City Small World. He has been a featured guest at special CBC presentations like the annual fundraiser Sounds of the Season —aired live from the Glenn Gould studio—alongside artists like Justin Rutledge, Sophie Milman, Jenn Grant and Michelle Wright.

25 years of performing live have seasoned Quique to effortlessly connect with his audiences, be it in an intimate house concert setting or on Toronto's venerable Harbourfront stage. He breaks down language barriers through his powerful voice and passionate delivery while fusing traditional Mexican styles of music such as ranchera and huapango with modern sounds of rock, reggae, ska, pop, jazz, cumbia, bolero, and a variety of other Latin American rhythms. His lyrics carry powerful messages that are inspired by and support various social and political issues such as human and civil rights, immigration reform, global conservation, anti-racism, discrimination, anti-oppression and Indigenous rights. Despite the distance from his homeland, Quique remains strongly attached to his Mexican roots. He is honoured to be in Canada to share with his audiences a flavour of Mexican culture, heritage and traditions through his music and live contemporary performances.

Opening for Quique and the Band is Jenie Thai

From her website:

Jan. 19th, 2015 "Jenie Thai is one of the most inspirational Roots piano players I have seen in a long, long time. She brings both a Blues & Boogie Woogie sensibility to her music and then, infuses it with her young exuberant songwriting. It is an infectious mix of old & new, raw & pristine, sad & joyous and they all work. It is Jazz, It is Blues, It is Roots but it is also a modern style of popularity that sucks you in the way Norah Jones does…..

"Only The Moon' is one of my favourite albums of 2014! Try it you'll like it." - Host of Sunday Morning Soul, Johnny Max

October 6th, 2014 "...rockin’ blues piano and scorchin’ hot vocals". - Wadena News, Charlene Wirtz

December

From the web site:

Oh Susanna (Suzie Ungerleider) was born in Massachusetts and raised in Vancouver. She first recorded a cassette of seven songs for a couple hundred bucks, making 50 copies and catching the attention of the music industry before Alt-Country even had a name. Since then, she’s released several critically acclaimed albums, including her latest, Namedropper, which harnesses the songwriting chops of her many industry friends, including Royal Wood, Ron Sexsmith, Kathleen Edwards and Joel Plaskett among others.

We are delighted to welcome her back to Greenbank!

January

Two time JUNO Award nominees (including this year’s nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year), The Sultans of String are “Canada’s ambassadors of musical diversity”. They thrill their audiences with their global sonic tapestry of Spanish Flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and French Manouche Gypsy-jazz, celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar while a funk bass lays down unstoppable grooves. Acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound, while world rhythms excite audiences to their feet with the irresistible need to dance.

Sultans of String, who are celebrating the release of their 5th album, Subcontinental Drift, will perform with special guest, sitar master Anwar Khurshid who is featured on the album. Anwar's music has been featured in Oscar-winning film Life of Pi as well as Kama Sutra besides performances in Europe, North America and Asia.

Opening for Sultans of String is singer-songwriter Annie Sumi.

Canadian indie-folk singer Annie Sumi has a fan in the CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos. Last year Strombo played one of her demo tracks on his Canada-wide radio show and said afterwards, "Wow, just in love with this voice."

Since then the 21-year-old has been busy winning over new fans, taking her sweet, soulful voice to stages big and small, sharing glimpses of her life through a brand of musical storytelling that spans folk, roots and country-rock.

Annie's debut album, Reflections, was released in April to a warm response and critical acclaim. In July the album was recognized as one of CBC Radio's Picks of the Month, and her songs have earned radio play on stations all across the country - from Victoria to Halifax. http://anniesumi.com/

February

The Emory Lester & Jill Jones Band, quickly becoming one of the finest musical acts in bluegrass music, is the culmination of Jill Jones, one of Ontario’s latest "up and coming" artists along with Emory Lester who is widely known as one of the most creative and influential musicians and instrumentalists of our time.

Featured in the band is the sweet captivating voice and musical artistry of Jill Jones along with vocalist and world-renowned mandolin virtuoso Emory Lester. Showcasing original songs written by Jill and by Emory, audiences are entertained with a mixture of upbeat, exciting, diverse and entertaining acoustic music show comprised of traditional and contemporary bluegrass acoustic music.

Rounding out The Emory Lester & Jill Jones Band are a group of respected, talented and experienced musicians who have all worked together for many years in various forms.

The opening act for this show will be Chris Saunders and Abby Zotz from Uxbridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VihJGF0nYsE

March

From Katherine's web site

Wendell's pretty well my best musical pal.

Our musical styles and songs, our singing and size are about as far apart as possible. Apparently, I'm "heartfelt" and "kind" and he's "irreverent" and "hilarious."

It took a few years to make such opposing forces work together on stage, but it does now and we're pretty thrilled about it.

One presenter said "An absolutely transcendent concert." Another wrote "She didn't leave a dry eye in the house. He didn't leave a dry seat."

The opening act for this show will be the Edmonton-based, small-town prairie-raised singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Colleen Brown.

April

From the web site:

Called Canada’s finest singer-songwriter by one of the most respected and lauded music journalists of the last 50 years, James Keelaghan is an artist who has proven to be a man for all seasons. As the calendar pages have turned, for almost a quarter of a century now, this poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, intent and intensity, and curiosity.

Beautiful Canadian songbird,Lynne Hanson, will be opening for James. Here's some of what they are saying about this wonderful player:

"She's made the only roots rock record of 2014 to hold a candle to Rosanne Cash's "The River and the Thread." Michael Barclay - The Cambridge Times

“Lynne Hanson is a hard-driving performer, who assumes true ownership of her music and she's gooooood ... she had the crowd mesmerized!” Elaina Martin, Founder and Producer, Westfest

If you are a fan of literate and layered songwriting, you will want to be a part of this artistic expedition!

May

Greenbank fans are delighted that Suzie is returning to the Greenbank stage in May.

From her CBC Music bio:

"A Saskatoon native living in Toronto, Canada, Suzie Vinnick is the owner of a gorgeous, powerful voice and performs with a sweet mixture of engaging candidness and unparalleled musicianship.

Suzie has toured nationally with Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café and the John McDermott Band. Suzie made her New York City debut in October 2011 supporting John Hammond at a free outdoor stage in Madison Square Park Conservancy and has performed for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf.

A multi-award winner, she performs powerfully as a solo act or with her tasteful side players, as a duo and band with Rick Fines, and is also a member of the groups The Marigolds (with Gwen Swick and Caitlin Hanford of Quartette) and Betty & the Bobs. She was also the voice of Tim Horton’s for 5 years."